Shenmue and the Yakuza series are high on my list of awesome. Let's not forget Kings Quest VI, either.

You'll usually find me extremely far away from any first-person shooters.. well, unless there's a zombie game on the other side of the room. In that case, I'll probably be right in the middle of the room.

Right now the 3DS is getting my love. Collecting dust in my living room are my XBOX360, Wii, and my trusty Dreamcast. My PS3 gets most of my attention at home.

One of the games I'm most looking forward to is the localized Layton vs. Wright - two of my favorite series combined into one (hopefully) incredible gaming experience.

I've been looking for ways to save money lately. Not actually following through - but looking for ways. My mind races between trying to save for the big picture and "little purchases", like a $60 video game. I buy around 1-2 games per month, not a ton by any means, but definitely noticeable when you have an (four years removed from college!) entry level salary. I try to distance my purchases out, maybe buy a couple digitally, whatever it takes to tell myself I don't have a problem.

It wouldn't be as much of a problem if I actually FINISHED these games. But, for the most part, I buy it, open it, play it for a few hours or days, and move on.

My dog has this blue chicken toy. A blue rubber chicken with a (pretty obnoxiously) long neck. She carries it around by said neck and rams it into your leg. Continuously. Until she catches a glimpse of her purple bear on the other side of the room, at that point the blue chicken is dead to her. She runs over and grabs the purple bear, spends some quality time with the bear (probably a minute or two) and moves onto her hedgehog toy.

Sound familiar?

I guess I have some explaining to do - some of these were free. The Cooking game was a [s]hint[/s] gift from my wife and I really do need to play(?) that at some point so I can at least tell her how awesome it was. Or maybe I'll make dinner with some recipes I learn! Either way, expect a review. I never finished Fable II so could never get to FIII. I love the Yakuza series but I [u]REALLY[/u] hate zombie games, so it's kind of difficult to get into that one. (Not pictured: Kingdom Hearts 3D, Professor Layton and the Last Specter/Miracle Mask, FF VII, VIII, IX, all of which I bought during that crazy sale and a ton of 3DS "Ambassador" games)

Very rarely, I'll come across a game that captivates me enough to garner my full, undivided attention and I'll actually finish it. The most recent have been Sleeping Dogs, Fire Emblem: Awakening, and Catherine. Not every game can capture my attention right away, but that doesn't mean it's a bad game, it just means that my attention span is horrible. From now through the end of the year I am not buying another game.* I'm going to use the free time that I do have over the next few months to catch up on these games that have been collecting dust.

If you choose - I'm going to bring you along for the ride. Think of it as a jump into the not-so-distant past time machine. While everyone else is giving their thoughts on the newest Grand Theft Auto, I'll be reporting on my experiences in Misthallery (Prof. Layton) or giving you a short recap of the time I went to strip club with Roman (GTA IV). It's always nice to get a good change of pace and my delinquency is going to provide that.

Which of these games will I enjoy the most? Least? Any I should avoid at all costs? Does everyone do this? What's the oldest game on your to-do list?

*A rare exception will be made for games that will likely never appear, especially not within the next three months, but just in case Shenmue III gets announced, developed, and created in three months (I can dream!) or the next Phoenix Wright comes out before the end of the year, the caveat must exist.